Graig Carbino, a 2006 Siena College graduate, recently e-mailed me, and in passing, said something very interesting: “Soccer is the sport of the Internet.” I really enjoyed reading that. I’ve spoken a lot on this blog about soccer’s growing presence on television here in the U.S. It’s easy to catch me lamenting the mainstream media’s lack of […]
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Spain came home with their first major trophy in 44 years Sunday, when they beat an unimaginative German squad 1-0 in an anti-climactic final to Euro 2008 in Vienna. For Spain, it was a delightful tournament marked by goals, offensive prowess and great goalkeeping. Forwards David Villa and Fernando Torres carried the team with their furious strikes on goal. […]
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Germany won the European title in 1972, 1980 and 1996. Spain won in 1964. One of these teams will win in 2008. The two classic European superpowers meet tomorrow at 3 p.m. for a chance to hoist this year’s trophy. Unfortunately for Germany, captain Michael Ballack injured his right calf and his status is uncertain. Losing the influential playmaker would be a huge blow […]
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ESPN officials were extremely satisfied with viewership and the quality of play at Euro 2008, despite Wednesday’s frustrating 18-minute coverage blackout during the end of the pulsating Germany-Turkey semi-final. In a media conference call on Thursday, ESPN executives and broadcast announcers called this year’s European tournament one of the best in terms of […]
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Photo thanks to AP. Whew. You can’t ask for much more than that. From the parts of the match I saw live in the newsroom and the highlights, what a remarkable semi-final! First perpetual underdogs Turkey score. Then Germany ties it up. Then Germany scores again. Then Turkey ties it up in the 86th minute. And […]
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Spain will again play Russia, this time in the semi-finals on Thursday, after defeating nemesis Italy 4-2 on penalty kicks in a disappointing match last night. Neither of the teams put in a performance that commanded attention or respect, though the Spaniards surely deserved the win based on several attacks on the Italian goal. The Italians were unable […]
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His name is not Beckham, Ronaldo or Del Piero. No, the best personal performance so far of Euro 08 came Saturday from Russia’s Andrei Arshavin, who led the little-known Russian team to a gripping 3-1 overtime victory over the Netherlands. The win sent the Russians, competing in their first quarter-final since the USSR broke up, into the […]
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For the third consecutive match, Turkey came from behind for a victory, this time in remarkable fashion, ousting Croatia in a penalty kick shootout and advancing to play Germany in the Euro 08 semi-finals. After a scoreless 90 minutes of regular time and another 28 of extratime, Croatia scored when Ivan Klasni headed in a Luka […]
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The organized and sometimes overlooked Germans dismantled Portugal today 3-2 to gain a spot in the 2008 European Championship semi-finals. The matchup paired two teams of different qualities, and the Germans overpowered their opponents through superior set pieces and air play. The Germans could now face a rematch in the semi-finals with Croatia, who beat them 2-1 in […]
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The first round of the 2008 European Championships ended today. The top two teams from each of the groups have advanced to the quarterfinals. Group A Portugal 6 Turkey 6 Czech Rep. 3 Switzerland 3 Group B Croatia 9 Germany 6 Austria 1 Poland 1 Group C […]
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